With so much emphasis on the pandemic and its effect on the Olympics, very little is said about the country itself in the Olympic Games. Japan first participated in the Games in 1912. It was held in Stockholm, and Japan sent only two athletes. One was a sprinter (Yahiko Michima), the other a marathoner (Shizo Kanakuri), but neither won medals. Mishima made the semi finals, but Kanakuri did not finish his marathon. With the popularity and proven skills of Naomi Osaka, it is no surprise that Japan's first Olympic medal was in tennis at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Seiichiro Kashio and Ichiya Kumagae won silver in the doubles, with Kumagae winning another silver in singles. Osaka is the top-rated player in the world, and not coincidentally, the highest paid athlete in the world. Overall,
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